History club take plunge

Members of a Motherwell-based historical group want to reunite a scrapbook on the golden age of Motherwell swimming with its owner.

The book, which documents the successes of Motherwell’s famous swimming stars of the 1940s and 1950s, was found in a trunk of documents recently gifted to Lanarkshire Family History Society.

It chronicles the swimmers’ successes from 1948 to 1950 through press cuttings and also contains a photograph of the club taken in 1948. Names featured include the famous Motherwell twins, Jack and Robert (Bert) Wardrop, Cathie Gibson, Margaret Girvan, Elenor Gordon and Trevor Harrop

The Motherwell Amateur Swimming Club dominated Scottish swimming during the 1940s, and also produced notable water polo teams. One cutting records how the town’s swim stars won 236 championships and gained 139 records between 1940 and 1948.

It’s not known who put the scrapbook together and the Lanarkshire Family History Society would love to return it to its rightful owner, possibly presenting it to them at their local and family history show which will take place in Motherwell Civic Centre next month.

If you can help, email secretary-lanarkshirefhs@hotmail.co.uk or write to Lanarkshire FHS, c/o Motherwell Heritage Centre, High Road, Motherwell ML1 3HU.